


Return

by galacticmistake



Series: How I Wanted Voltron to End [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Autistic Pidge | Katie Holt, Canon Divergent (To a point), Coma, Coran gets WASTED, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Drunk Character, Established Matt Holt/Shiro, F/M, Fever-induced seizure, Gay wedding!!!!!, Gen, Hospital Setting, LGBT OC, M/M, MOGAI OC, Marriage Proposal, Matt Holt smokes weed, Matt is a stoner, OC uses neopronouns, Originally Posted Elsewhere, Pansexual Character, Pansexual Coran (Voltron), Proposal in a coffeeshop, Stoner science!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 6,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23503363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticmistake/pseuds/galacticmistake
Summary: They're home now. Back on Earth. But, at what cost? (Also on Wattpad)
Relationships: Coran & Pidge | Katie Holt, Coran/OC, Lance/Pidge | Katie Holt, Matt Holt/Shiro
Series: How I Wanted Voltron to End [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659190
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Land

The wormhole was open. Any moment now, they would be back on Earth. 

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't use the wormhole. However, with one of the paladins being ill and in dire need of proper attention, Shiro and Allura agreed to use the wormhole to get back as soon as possible. 

Now, Shiro and Matt, who had time to kill, decided to have a little make out session close to the control panel, in case Shiro was needed for an emergency. 

Pidge lay on her back in her room with a wet towel on her face. Her eyes were halfway open in an attempt to ease the worries of the other person in her room, who happened to be the engineer of the Castle. Coran knew that the two could easily be calmed by discussing science and technology, as they often collaborated on repairing odd gadgets. 

Lance, Hunk, and Keith had all gone back to sleep. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As soon as the coordinates were entered for somewhere close to where they found the Blue Lion, the castle began to malfunction. As soon as the castle had entered Earth's atmosphere, alarms went off and the falling speed increased. 

"The Lions have been deployed to the supposed coordinates! Everyone make it to the control room! As soon as possible!"

Coran didn't budge. At the moment, he had to make sure that Number 5 would not be too affected by the impending destruction of the Altean castle. 

As he stood to warn Allura, a ceiling panel began to dangle fairly loosely from above. As it fell, Pidge leaped from where she lay to push him and save him from being crushed from the panel. As he was pushed back, the door to her room closed. He had no choice but to run. 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Shiro, Matt, Allura, Lance, Hunk, Keith, Romelle, Krolia, and Coran all emerged from the front of the fallen castle. As they all turned around, they saw as a once marvelous piece of architecture was now a pile of rubble. 

"OK. Is everyone ok?" Shiro inquired. 

"We should do a head count. Something tells me that we're missing someone." Krolia stated. 

Allura performed the count, stalling near the end. 

"We're missing someone." she said. 

"Well, 2 someones if we're counting the cow." Keith stated. 

Coran knew. And as soon as the missing paladin was mentioned, he darted back into the fallen castle. 

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

The front doors of the castle were pried open. Emerging from the doors were Coran, Kaltenecker, and Pidge. Kaltenecker was to Coran's left, as he held Pidge's laptop in his hands. Pidge lay on Kaltenecker's back. 

Shiro, seeing the state that the youngest Holt family member was in, adjusted her onto his back, wrapping her arms lightly around his neck and resting her feet on his hips. 

The group walked on. Cow, space wolf, and human-like inhabitants in all.


	2. Attention

After a semi-long day of walking through the Arizona desert, the gang finally found a coffee shop to rest for a bit. 

As soon as they got inside, Pidge slid off of Shiro's back onto a couch-like window. He initially sat to catch his breath from all of the walking, and with only one arm, nonetheless. 

Everyone else either stood in line waiting to order or to convert their GAC into American money. 

As Coran stood in line to order, someone caught his attention. 

That someone had black hair in a loose bun. His skin seemed a pearl white, but as he turned around, patches of a walnutesque brown suddenly appeared. His eyes also caught the mustached Altean. One was an ice blue while the other was a dull ivory. The mystery man had a cup of some sort of coffee in his hands as he walked slowly to the creams and sugars. 

As he ordered a semi-complicated latte, the mystery man noticed Coran. He was drawn in by the odd baby blue markings on his face and his fascinating ginger hair. 

As Coran sipped on his cinnamon, pumpkin, mocha, and espresso drink, Romelle nudged his shoulder, directing her attention towards the mystery man. 

"He's been staring at you for a bit. Maybe you should go talk to him. Don't worry. I'll watch your drink." 

Coran trusted his instincts and went up to the man. 

"I can tell you've been staring at me," the man noted. "It's fine, though. I'm all sorts of weird. Maybe that's why I've been single for so long."

"That's kinda sad, actually." Coran replied. "You know, your blue eye reminds me of the sea. So fluid and full of life."

A brief moment of silence followed before the mystery man replied.

"MOTHERFUCKER. WERE YOU FLIRTING WITH ME? THAT WAS SMOOTH AS ALL HELL." 

"I was merely stating a fact." 

"You know what? I like you a lot." The man pulled a card from his jean pocket. "Meet me at the address listed here at 9pm. Plan to spend the night." He went to the door. 

"Wait!" Coran shouted. "I never learned your name!"

"I go by Ayre. What about you?"

"Me? My full name is Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe. Everyone just calls me Coran, though."

"Heh. You're cute."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: Ayre uses Ze/Hir pronouns
> 
> Another quick note: Coran is canonically Pansexual (at least according to Rhys Darby)


	3. More Than a Family Friend

As soon as Ayre left, Shiro came back with a smaller bag. He looked to the window, hoping to find Matt.

He found Matt looking out of the window, sitting next to his younger sister. There was a forlorn look in his eyes, almost as if he had missed the desert. Then again, this desert was his home. 

Shiro understood. This was also his home. Not being here for quite a while hit him hard. Especially when he realized that everyone thought that he and Matt died in that mission so long ago. 

Well, the scars on their faces and Shiro's missing arm told quite the opposite story.

Matt didn't even notice the bag. He just noticed that Shiro sat right next to him. There was a sentimental look in Shiro's eyes, almost as if he was reminiscing the time before his mission with Sam and Matt. 

He missed Adam. But Adam most likely didn't miss him. The two had moved on from each other. 

That's why this was so important. 

Shiro grabbed the bag from the table in front of the window. As he held the bag opened, his heart briefly told him, "This is stupid. He'll say no. Just quit." But unbeknownst to him, Pidge was sort of glaring him down. 

"What are you waiting for? Just ask! He's not even paying attention to what's going on out there." Pidge whispered before rolling onto her back. 

"Hey, Matt?"

"What's up, Shiro?"

Using the window seat for support, he got down onto one knee. Luckily, the box for the ring was within reach, so he grabbed it. 

"Matt. Do you mind opening this for me?"

"No. Not at all."

Matt opened the box, revealing a moonstone perched on top of a golden band. 

"NO! OH MY GOD, SHIRO!" Matt yelled out. 

"Matthew Holt... My sun, moon, and stars... will you marry me?" 

"Seriously? Of course! Hell yeah!"

Shiro extended his hand, which poor Matt took as a romantic gesture. 

"Matt. I can't get up." 

"Oh. Ok. Dork."


	4. Space Mom Instincts

Something was off. Krolia could tell. 

While Matt and Shiro snuggled up against each other, Pidge lay alone in discomfort. Not too long ago, maybe about 15 minutes ago, she had eaten half of a giant cinnamon roll with a small cup of black coffee. At that time, she seemed ok, although a bit pale. 

However, now her face seemed to be tinted a light green and her eyes were squeezed shut. She was curled into herself on her left side, a blue pillow propping her head up slightly. 

Being a mom, Krolia took these as red flags. She bent to easily make eye contact with the green paladin. As her eyes slowly slid open, the lights seemed to shine in her eyes, causing her to roll onto her other side. 

"Hey." Krolia whispered. 

"...too loud. Too bright." Pidge mumbled to herself, unaware that the Galra woman heard her. 

"I know. Too be fair, your brother and his fiancé did cause a bit of a ruckus. I'm glad for them, but yeah."

Pidge nodded in agreement. 

"There's a bathroom not too far away. Want me to walk there with you?"

Again, she nodded. 

##################################

About half an hour later, Krolia and Pidge returned. The two were tired, they could probably sleep for a thousand years.


	5. Back At Last

Everyone decided to go their own separate ways. Shiro and Keith went back to the Garrison, Lance could find his way back to his house fairly quickly, and Hunk did the same. Coran decided to go with Allura and Romelle until his date. Krolia had nothing to do, so she tagged along with her son. 

That left Matt and Pidge. Luckily for them, they had a place in mind. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The walk was long and treacherous, especially when only stopping out of pure necessity because of your stubborn little sister who refused to stop even as her exhaustion reached its limit. 

He would carry her for a bit of the way. She was still small, so she fit on his shoulders almost perfectly. 

"How much longer?" she murmured in her slumber. 

"Just about 3 more minutes."

"Let me off. If I'm going to see them again, I want to seem ok."

"You won't throw me for a loop. I heard you at the shop earlier. You're lucky I didn't call EMS on you."

She scrambled her way off of his back and leaned on his arm for a bit of support. 

"Let's go."

}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

They ended up at their front door. At this point, the walk had drained them both, but neither would admit it. 

Matt rang the doorbell. 

A woman had opened the door. Someone who looked like their mother, but who had aged quite a bit. Her hair was a bit shorter than Matt last remembered. She quickly turned her head towards the interior of the house.

"Sam! Look who's here!"

Their father walked close to her. He saw them and nearly cried. 

His children were finally home.


	6. Quality Time

The first place Matt and Pidge went was upstairs. They hadn't seen their rooms in so long that they had almost forgotten what they looked like. 

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Pidge stepped in hers and immediately felt a bit calm. Everything was organized and in their places. Yet, also, some of what she left out, like the scissors she used to cut her hair, were still there. Untouched. 

She sat on top of her bed, rubbing her fingertips against the soft top sheet. 

Eventually, the blankets called her to them, and she curled up beneath her 3 or so blankets. 

"Matt? Let Mom know that I'll be down for dinner." she said to him. 

"Sure." he replied. 

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Matt had cleaned his room thoroughly before leaving for Kerberos, but it still surprised him that it was still how he left it. 

It was only a tad bit cleaner than Pidge's room, from what he saw. Then again, he didn't have a pair of scissors laying around. 

Then again, he didn't have to fake an identity just to go to school. 

He left. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, the coffee table in the TV area had plates filled with all sorts of Chinese food and glasses full of cherry cola. 

Colleen had the TV remote in her right hand, ready to switch inputs. They had decided to watch an older movie from her VHS collection. One called "Home Alone." A simple family movie. 

Matt had tried to wake up Pidge before the movie was decided on, but since she clearly missed her bed more than words could say, he let her sleep. 

They didn't care, though. They were just happy to be all together again.


	7. Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Language, mentions to illness

Keith: I'd feel awkward if I didn't start this. 

Lance: Eh. So would I. You caught me at a good time, though. 

Keith: How so?

Lance: I'm alone for the next few hours. Not sure why. 

Keith: Huh. 

(Allura is calling)

Keith: Hey, princess. How's it going?

Allura: Oh. It's fine. I found a place with Romelle. Plus, she found a job at a makeup counter as a department store. 

Keith: Makeup, huh? I figured as much. 

Lance: Could she do mine sometime?

Romelle: Huh. I don't see why not. When are you available?

Lance: Well-

(Coran is calling)

Lance: Coran! What the hell is on your lips?

Coran: It's a stain of some sort. Ayre did my makeup for me. Ze was doing hirs, so I asked if ze could do mine. 

Lance: Long story short... 

(Matt is calling)

Matt: Coran! Holy shit! You look amazing! How's Ayre? 

Coran: Ze are doing great! 

Matt: Sweet! I would really like to meet... them sometime.

Coran: Hir? Sure. I'll let hir know. 

Krolia: Keith, give me the phone real quick. Hey, Matt. 

Matt: Yo... 

(Shiro is calling)

Shiro: What's up? How's the ring holding up?

Matt: It's doing great! I love the moonstone! I'm just not wearing it around my folks. Not until I tell them. 

Shiro: That's cool. I understand. 

Pidge: Is that Shiro? 

Matt: There's a whole bunch of people here. 

Pidge: nice. 

Shiro: What's up, lil' trooper?

Pidge: Shut up. Anyways, I'm tired. Just in a mood for coffee. You?

Krolia: Hey, Pidge? Any better than yesterday?

Pidge: So far, not really. But, I did sleep for 15 hours, so that's a feat. 

Keith: Fucking superb you funky little gremlin. 

Matt: HEY. No one but me calls Pidge a gremlin. 

(Hunk is calling)

Hunk: Yo. I made calzones. 

Matt: Sick. Bring em over later. 

Hunk: Are you doing what I think you're doing tonight?

Matt: Oh yeah...

Pidge: I swear, if I smell weed from my room tonight, you're not sleeping. I'm already on thin fucking ice. 

Matt: When do I do science in my room? Ever? 

Allura: Well, I'm off. Romelle would appreciate my help. 

(Allura hangs up)

(Coran hangs up)

Pidge: Oh what the fuck?! 

(Keith hangs up)

Lance: You alright?

Pidge: ...I'm still feeling that cinnamon roll from yesterday.

Matt: Go. 

Lance: What's going on?

Matt: I might call back and explain.

(Matt hangs up)

Shiro: Well, shit. I need to be productive now. 

(Shiro and Lance hang up)


	8. Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: recreational marijuana use

He sat adjacent to her on the couch. Their mom had fallen asleep a few hours ago, so they were in the clear. It was just him, her, their father, and a pipe filled with weed. His kind of night. 

==================================

Pidge had fallen asleep at some point, but when she woke up, she could smell weed. 

Matt was stoned. There were no ifs ands or buts about it. He had gotten high while Sam was setting up whatever odd science project he and Matt were doing that evening. 

Normally, Sam would smoke a bit with Matt. However, he had volunteered to be the designated driver. Just in case of an emergency. 

Matt went down to the basement. Science would ensue, and Pidge would sleep through it all. 

Or would she?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

There was a strange noise coming from upstairs. Matt and Sam were a bit pre-occupied with some sort of odd experiment, but the noise went on. And it shook them a bit. What was causing this noise? 

15 minutes later, Matt went up to investigate. 

"Let me know if we need to leave, Ok? Text me." Sam said, hoping that everyone else was still asleep. 

"Ok. Will do." Matt replied. 

He went upstairs.


	9. Worrying Texts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mention of blood, character under the influence of marijuana

**Matt:** Dad? I may be high as shit, but that doesn't make me any less concerned. 

**Sam:** What's up? 

**Matt:** There's a timer on Katie's phone. 

**Matt:** It's been going for 15 minutes. 

**Sam:** Timer?

 **Matt:** There's a few from yesterday and today. I think she starts them when she starts coughing.

 **Sam:** Is it still going?

 **Matt:** ...yeah. It's still going. 

**Sam:** Get some water. That should help. 

**Matt:** Yeah no problem. 

**Matt:** Hold on. 

**Matt:** I think that's blood.

 **Sam:** Blood?

 **Matt:** Blood. On her fist. 

**Sam:** Like, from her lungs?

 **Matt:** Most likely, yes. 

**Matt:** Do you still need me to get water?

 **Sam:** No. Find the duffel bag from under her bed. Grab a pair of pajamas, a pair of socks, and her toothbrush. 

**Sam:** I was hoping that we wouldn't have to make this trip. But, it looks like we have no choice. 


	10. Commute

The duffel bag was packed. The car was loaded with 3 people. 

Matt had Pidge in his arms as she coughed uncontrollably. Sam drove. 

The car pulled out of the driveway. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

After 30 grueling minutes of traffic, they had all arrived where they were all meant to be.


	11. Safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw/Cw: Hospital setting

_There's something about this place that makes you feel safe..._

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Sam burst in through the ambulance entrance. His daughter sat in his arms, shaking and short of breath from the coughing, both the amount and the duration. 

"Sir?" A nurse inquired, walking towards him. "You're not technically supposed to come in through that entrance."

"Please... my daughter..." he pleaded. 

A different nurse came to him. 

"Sir. This isn't the entrance. There's a different entrance for you."

"You don't understand." he said sternly. "I need your help. She's been coughing for about 45 minutes. She's been sick for quite a while. I don't know what's going on. Please help."

The nurse gave a confused look, but soon after took the smaller individual into her own arms. 

"We'll do what we can, sir. I'm going to need you and your son to be in the waiting room in the meantime. We'll call you when we've figured it out."

The two men nodded and left. 


	12. Inter-Personal Messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Language, alludes to one character texting while having sex

4 am

**Pidge:** Coran. 

**Pidge:** Corraaaaaannnnn.......

**Pidge:** CORAN.

**Coran:** Oh. Hey, #5! What are you doing up?

**Pidge:** ...

**Pidge:** Remember when you took me to that one planet before we came here? To test out some new piece of tech. 

**Coran:** Well, yeah. They really appreciated it. 

**Pidge:** And remember how when we went, it was in the middle of an outbreak of a virus that seemed like the flu?

**Coran:** Kinda. Yeah. 

**Pidge:** Well, I have pneumonia now. Had it for a few days. 

**Coran:** Oh. Is that dangerous to humans?

**Pidge:** Can be. Anyways, I just got admitted to the hospital. They let me have my phone, which is odd. 

**Pidge:** So, what are you doing awake?

**Coran:** Oh. I'm just... spending some quality time with Ayre. 

**Pidge:** I'm only 15, but you can tell me. Are you texting me while you two are fucking?

**Coran:** Well, I'm on the bottom at the moment, so it's not like I'm doing anything. 

**Pidge:** Jesus Christ.


	13. Sleepless 6AM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Language, allusions to sickness and a hospital environment

**Keith:** Can anyone else sleep?

 **Lance:** No. For some reason. Idk. 

**Hunk:** bruh. We've been on Earth for over 24 hours. 

**Lance:** Can you even get jet lag from space? 

**Pidge:** Maybe. Time does move slower up in space. That could explain some of it.

 **Shiro:** Good point. I just had a nightmare, though. That's why I'm up. 

**Matt:** Oh no... you ok now?

 **Shiro:** I guess? I can't tell. What about you?

 **Pidge:** Bruh. I wish I could remember. Maybe if Coran sends y'all screenshots from our texts 2 hours ago. I fell asleep afterwards.

 **Keith:** Ok. Haven't heard from you specifically, Pidge. My mom told me that you still feel like shit, though. 

**Pidge:** Oh. Worse than shit, dude. 

**(Pidge sent a photo)**

**Lance:** HOLY SHIT

 **Lance:** ARE YOU DYING

 **Hunk:** Omg

 **Romelle:** What going on? I have an 8am shift, so I just woke up. 

**Hunk:** Scroll up.

 **Romelle:** Ok. 

**Romelle:** Oh no. Pidge, are you ok?

 **Pidge:** I appreciate the concern

 **Pidge:** but no. 

**Shiro:** Do you want me to visit later? I'll bring sandwiches. 

**Pidge:** Can't eat, but thanks for the offer. I'm sure Matt wants a sandwich. 

**Shiro:** Is Sam with you?

 **Pidge:** He's doing a crossword puzzle, so yeah. Matt hacked into the TV in my room, so he's been playing Mario Party 8 for the past hour. 

**Shiro:** That sounds like him, alright. I'll be in at 10 with Jimmy John's. 

**Matt:** Jimmy John's? FUCK YEAH! 

**Keith:** gay 😒

 **Lance:** shut the fuck your mouth. Emo. 

**Keith:** BITCH 


	14. Just As Promised

Shiro barged in with a large bag from Jimmy John's. Apparently, Sam can smell Jimmy John's, because his head perked up from his crossword book. 

Pidge couldn't get back to sleep, it seemed, as she was bouncing and cracking her knuckles. She didn't notice him, but she scowled when she heard the bag rustling. At this point, she stopped bouncing and began rocking. Less concentration involved in rocking. 

Matt had noticed his fiancé, and discreetly pointed to his jean pocket, where he hid his ring from his dad. Shiro took a seat on the ground next to him and delegated sandwiches to everyone. After all this time, he still remembered. 

Pidge had the Slim 4 (Turkey) on wheat bread. Matt had the Perfect Italian with extra onion (Shiro could tell that Matt had smoked at some point. He knew that Matt liked onions when he was high.) Sam had the Veggie Club with a pickle on the side. Shiro always ordered the J.J. Gargantuan.

##################################

At some point, Sam had left the room to get drinks for everyone. When he left, Matt slid the ring back on his finger. He let Shiro have his spot while he stole his dad's seat and dragged it closer. 

As soon as Sam was out of earshot, Matt and Shiro began a hefty conversation about their wedding. Luckily, Pidge was still awake. Being Matt's best maid, he made sure she had some say. 

"So, cake ideas?"

"No."

"It might be hard for us to find a bakery that'll bake anything for us."

"Good point. I still want to get cute cake toppers, though."

"How about a tray of baked ziti? And top it with garlic knots?" 

"Pidge. For someone who currently can't eat, you come up with good food ideas."

"I guess." Her face scrunched up and turned green at the thought of the 3/4ths of her sandwich on the table by her bed. 

"Where would we put the cake toppers?" Shiro asked. 

"In the center. Have it like this: garlic knot, cake topper, garlic knot."

"I like the way you think."


	15. ...surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Language, hospital setting, nausea, vomit mention, blood, drunk character

It was 3am. Pidge lay on her back on the bed in her light blue tinted room. Her eyes were red, mainly from them being strained from coughing her lungs out and puking up everything she ate. Not pleasant. A clear face mask covered her nose and mouth, mainly because of the constant coughing. 

She was just about to fall asleep. At around midnight, she had finished the sandwich from when Shiro visited, mainly because she knew not to leave fast food out overnight. 15 minutes later, it ended up not agreeing. 

As she closed her eyes slowly, the door busted open. She sat up, taking note of the man-like figure creeping closer. 

The figure eventually plopped down on a space next to her legs. She could tell who it was from the markings on his cheeks and the pointiness of his ears. Not to mention, he seemed to be shit-faced drunk. 

Coran. Good old Coran. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "It's 3am. I was just about to get to sleep."

"You're my bess frien... #5..."

"Jesus. Uh, does Ayre think you're still at the local pub?"

"No..., well maybe. I'm not sure."

"Uuuggghhh." she groaned, placing her face in her hands. "I don't have the patience to deal with this right now."

At that point, she started to cough. Luckily, he took a bit of notice. 

"Do you need a nurse? Let me get you a nurse."

With that, he left. 

Sometime later, she stopped coughing. When she looked down into her mask, she saw blood. At that point, she guessed he left the building as a whole. 

She tried to get to sleep again.


	16. Willpower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Hospital setting, blood, minor language

The television played some sort of news program. It had been playing for a bit, but Sam was just now starting to pay attention to it. 

"And right now, we're all asking the same question. Where is Voltron?" the program asked. 

Not even a few seconds afterwards, a scary sounding hacking cough emerged from the youngest person in the room. She wasn't too phased at the amount of blood that was coughed up, but it drained her nevertheless. Matt lightly rubbed her shoulder and looked at her kind of sadly. 

"Matt," Sam noted, "We should start heading back. This is going to be huge."

"I'll be with my rebel group, but I get your point. We should leave." Matt rustled his sister's hair. "Get some rest." he said as the two left. 

Great. She was even more sick and more alone, it seemed. She needed something else. 

Suddenly, she remembered that they needed all hands on deck in order to defeat Sendak and the rest of the Galra. Sure, she felt awful, but they needed her. 

Right away, she began cooking up an escape plan. 

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

Keith, Lance, Hunk, Shiro, Allura, Romelle and Coran stood in a hallway by a door. Everyone seemed worried, and for good reason. Now that the Galra had found Earth, everyone's lives were in grave danger. What worried them the most, however, was the lives of their friends and family at risk. 

"Well," Coran started, "I'm afraid we might be short one."

"We're short of the short one. Ha ha." Lance dryly snipped. "No, but in all honesty, where is Pidge? Has anyone texted her?"

"I tried." Hunk spoke up. "She didn't answer. To be fair, that was at 4am."

All of a sudden, the giant doors opened. What hid behind them left everyone in shock. 

Pidge walked towards the other paladins pretty confidently. Shiro was the first to take notice. She noticed his new arm. 

"Wait." Allura interrupted. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Trust me. You guys probably need me." Pidge replied. She saw that everyone was looking in the direction where the lions sat, waiting to go into action. 

"Now let's kick some Galra ass."


	17. The Final Struggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Language, blood mention, mucus mention, fever-induced seizure, hinted towards a character in a coma, physical torture (just someone being grabbed by the throat)

Shiro so desperately wanted to get back out and flying that he was elated when he found out that he would be controlling Atlas from the ground. It wasn't flying, but it was close enough. 

Keith wasn't too thrilled to be back fighting in the black lion, but he took it on anyways. He had a bit of confidence as a leader, but he had more confidence in his team. 

"Ok." Keith said. "I wanted to say this in case we don't all make it. It's been an honor flying with you all."

"I'M FUCKING CRYING. STOP." Lance yelled into the coms. 

"Let's go. We've got a weird purple alien cat to defeat."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

At first, the Galra definently had the upper hand. This became more apparent when Sendak attacked Voltron, taking a paladin as ransom. 

Everyone looked on in horror as the much taller purple alien held the much smaller green clad paladin by the throat as she looked on in horror. 

It was easy to see why Sendak would pick her, as she was smaller and seemingly less physically strong than the others. However, what he didn't take into account was her intellect and agility. 

He stared at her with his menacing yellow eyes. And she smirked back. 

Within a few seconds of that smirk, she began coughing as much and as hard as she could. In shock, Sendak released his grip, and she ran off as he screamed in utter confusion. 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

With that whole fiasco over, Voltron and all of the other rebel alliances once again had the upper hand. That's also when Keith presented his grand plan. 

At this point, for some reason, the Galra had formed a giant mech of sorts. It was probably some sort of intimidation tactic, but that didn't intimidate the paladins of Voltron. 

"OK. Here's my plan." Keith said into the coms. "We split up into our individual lions while they're struggling and each attack a certain limb."

"Ok..." Hunk muttered. "When?"

"Now."

They immediately split. As they split, Pidge dived for the right ankle, which threw the Galra mech off guard. However, it didn't fall in defeat until Lance barreled towards the midsection of the giant robot. 

As it fell, the lions circled the perimeter of the robot. 

All of Earth cheered in that one moment. 

##################################

Shiro was swarmed with cameras and journalists as he left towards the lions, which stood proud. 

"Mr. Shirogane. Who do you want to thank for this accomplishment?"

"Well, there's too many to name, but I'd mainly like to thank the paladins of Voltron, the Galaxy Garrison and their amazing crew. Not to mention the countless rebel forces from other solar systems."

"Takashi! Now that this war is over, do you plan on retiring?"

"Not for a good while, my friend. However, I might be on a short break. I have... big plans in store." 

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, fairly soon, hopefully, I'm getting married to my wonderful fiancé, Matthew Holt. After the honeymoon to Yokohama, I'll be back in full swing and teaching again."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It had been a few hours since the battle ended. Lance and Hunk were waiting for Pidge to finish a maintenance checklist for the lions so as to help the Garrison crew navigate these ancient, yet marvelous pieces of Altean technology. 

Lance was getting impatient. 

"Hey, Hunk. I'm going out there. Under normal circumstances, she would have been done by now."

"Suit yourself. I'm taking Shay back to my place." 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

After scowering the lions for a while, Lance finally found Pidge in her lion, although not in the state he was hoping her to be in. She was sitting in the pilot's chair, yet her head lay on the flat part of the top of the seat. She was pale. More pale than the photo from yesterday at 6am. 

He didn't know what to do, yet at the same time, he had an idea. 

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Matt sat with his head pressed to the edge of his sister's hospital bed. He was tired from the grueling battle, and he knew that she was tired as well. She had just woken up after coughing up a mixture of blood and mucus. 

The two were just talking, passing time until a nurse came in. 

"Hey, Katie. Let me ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"How did it feel to be piloting that lion for the first time in a while and maybe the last time?"

"When you put it that way, it's a whole mixture of emotions. I'm sad to be leaving Greenie, but at least I won't have to fight anymore aliens."

She started to feel odd. Almost like the room she was in wasn't real. It was good that she was lying down, as she felt a wave of lightheadedness. The headache she had all of a sudden became too much. 

Luckily, Matt heard the sounds of her arm shaking against the mattress of her bed and sprung into action. 

♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧♧

Shiro had taken Matt's old seat, although he didn't look too tired. He was just sad. 

So far, after her fever-induced seizure, she awoke for a bit only to fall back asleep. And so far, she didn't wake up. 

While stroking the top of her hand with his thumb, he placed his head on an empty part of mattress. All the while he softly sang to himself: "Is this the place we used to love? Is this the place that I've been dreaming of? Oh, simple thing. Where have you gone?"

Matt was now just as sad as his fiancé, so he wrapped his arms around the buffer man's shoulders. Sad and exhausted. 

And maybe a bit hopeless. 

**************************************

Lance was lucky to have a best friend like Hunk. Hunk was lucky to be in semi-close contact with Matt. 

When Hunk had gotten a text from Matt about a close friend being in a coma, he sighed, trying not to cry in case Lance started crying again. He tried, but the overwhelming emotions just got to him and he embraced Lance in a hug in which both of them just cried. 

Lord knows they needed to cry.


	18. Relief

The air in the room was tense, especially since the room was only made to hold 6 people and there were 12 in total. 

They were all there for one common purpose: to check up on the same person. Only one person in the room didn't know the specifics of who hir boyfriend was dragging hir along to see. 

A watch beeped.

"2 days." Matt said matter of factly. 

There was a collective groan. Allura slumped against one of the walls, just wanting this whole fiasco to be done and over with. 

Lance moved closer to the bed, holding back tears. Over these past 2 days, he came to terms with his feelings for a girl, who just so happened to be comatose in this very moment. As soon as he thought of the possibility of her passing on before he got to tell her, he slammed his head on the mattress and started softly crying. 

Shiro walked closer to the red paladin and placed a hand on his shoulder. That same possibility of who was practically his space daughter dying before he finally did. Lance couldn't see, but the white haired man gave a solemn and almost tearful look. 

Matt kept staring at his watch as the seconds ticked on. 2:00:01:31. 2:00:01:32. He was surprised that it kept track for days at a time. 

Ayre sat in one of the chairs eating chili out of a medium sized Tupperware container. Ze had no idea what was going on. Ze just didn't want to leave hir boyfriend, Coran, alone in his sadness. Coran also had a container of chili, but it was smaller. 

At this point, And Lance began crying uncontrollably. He held the smaller girl tightly in his arms. 

"YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP! PLEASE! I LOVE YOU!"

Everyone was taken aback by this sudden confession, but it didn't startle Hunk. He knew for a while. And Matt had listened in on them, so he kinda had an idea. 

Her golden eyes slowly opened to the bright lights of the room and someone, probably Romelle staring in concern. Matt had noticed as well and switched the timer off. 

2:00:04:15. Beating out her previous record of 15 hours. Well, this might not count, but it also might. 

Pidge stared at Matt with a worried look on her face. Even though Lance was holding her in a death grip, she still managed to crane her head to look at her older brother. 

She soon realized that looking at those fluorescent hospital lights were bound to make her feel a bit lightheaded, or at least strain her eyes. She could feel the lightheadedness creep on. 

Lance had loosened his grip on her, almost as if his last shred of hope had fizzled away. 

As she fell out of his arms and back onto the bed, he felt a tug at one of sides of his hood before the both of them crashed onto the bed. 

She didn't feel lightheaded anymore, plus she got to stare at Lance's pretty face. 

He was shocked, to say the least. But he was elated nonetheless. 

"I heard everything you said, Lance. I had... honestly no idea that you also felt that way," she said, "I... I've been waiting for the right time to tell you. But, I didn't think you would like me back."

"I literally told you in the castle. And I meant it." he whined as he embraced her in his arms. "You scared me."

"You scared all of us. Well, especially someone other than Lance." Matt said as he opened the door. 

She was taken aback by who charged in and jumped on her lap. 

"BAE BAE!" 

"He was supposed to have this strapped to his back, but it kept sliding off." Matt sighed as he held out a giant jar of peanut butter. "It's a shame. It would have been the perfect touch."

"Are mom and dad here?"

As she asked, Sam and Colleen turned the corner. They were technically at work, but they gave a quick wave anyways. 

"I'm technically on the clock, too. I'm supposed to be shadowing a late night physics lecture. Snuck out, though. The professor didn't even notice."

"Does anyone want chili?" Ayre inquired. 

Everyone passed on the offer, but it seemed that for once since the battle ended, all was at peace.


	19. Queerly Beloved

Matt stared in the mirror of the bedroom. To think that today was 6 months in the making, but today had finally come. 

6 months of chaos, hardship, paper balls full of wasted ideas, really good Italian food, dog kisses, and awkward confessions. It was a wild ride, but they made it. 

As he finished tying his rainbow bow tie, he heard a knock at the door. 

"Hey Matt!" Katie yelled from the other side, "Open up! I wanna show you something real quick!"

He opened the door and she ran in, showing off a move that seemed like the "whip" dance move (Matt will admit: he doesn't keep up with dance trends) while making a noise that sounded like "YEET" before running off.

He couldn't help but laugh to himself as he tied his hair up into a bun. 

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The venue for the ceremony was absolutely breathtaking. The podium, draped with wonderful white cloth, was situated in front of a myriad of bright green trees. Black roses spiraled around the pillars holding the curtains in place, as a symbol of Shiro's time piloting the Black Lion. 

Rows of white chairs sat on either side of a rainbow carpet which would serve as the aisle. 

Keith sat on the left side of the aisle next to Krolia. He felt honored to be Shiro's best man, but he hated slacks, so he opted for dark blue jeans with the rest of his formal outfit. Krolia, on the other hand, wore a stunning backless black dress. She didn't quite understand Earth weddings, but she tried. 

Pidge sat on the right side, fiddling with the sugared almond pink sash on her jade green dress and matching 1 inch heels. She had never been to a wedding before, so she had no idea what to expect. 

As the guests flooded in, one specific guest caught her eye. It was Lance, no surprise, with his jet black suit and notable cyanine blue bow tie. He took a seat next to Pidge. 

As he sat down, he noticed Sam and Colleen directly behind them. This caused him to tense up a bit, as he had never actually talked to them that much before today. Katie gave a reassuring look, however. All it took to quell his worries was looking in her golden eyes. 

)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

As the ordained minister opened up the Bible, Matt and Shiro looked at each other with excitement. Here they were, after so long. Shiro detected a whif of weed on his fiance's breath, but it wasn't enough to annoy him. He was just happy to finally be here. 

"Queerly beloved," the minister began, "we are gathered here togay-" 

Sam spit his drink out. He was just as surprised 6 months ago when Shiro dropped the bombshell on national television. 

Matt glanced over and nearly snickered when he found that his poor baby sister now had a slight bit of vodka in her hair. This didn't please her at all. But, for the sake of seeming civilized, she said nothing. This was an accident, after all. 

The rest of it went smoothly, and everyone felt the love in the air.


End file.
